“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (TMNT) is one of the most popular franchises of all time, with a total of far over $1 billion in total revenue, and it is the third best-selling action figure chain of all time. TMNT has been around since 1984, and it is coming up on its 40th anniversary. With this extended period of success, a lot of things have changed, such as the turtles’ appearance, new characters, and plot points. It all starts with Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman in their basement. They could not have guessed how successful their franchise would become.
The first ever TMNT comic book was created by Laird and Eastman in 1984. It introduces us to the four turtles: Raphael (Raph), Michaelangelo (Mikey), Donatello (Donnie), and Leonardo (Leo), as well as their rat father, Master Splinter. They are all mutated martial artists who have humanoid appearances, and they fight crime in New York City. The turtles wear red headbands, and Splinter wears a classic robe. These appearances change a lot throughout the years. Three years later, in 1987, the turtles came onto TV. The TMNT cartoon show aired for nine years, going all the way until 1996. The turtles have a lighter shade of green as their skin tone, and they all wear different colored headbands. Leo wears blue, Mikey wears orange, Donnie wears purple and Raph sticks with red. This show is a lot more comedic and features almost every villain from the comics. It features April O’Neil and Casey Jones as main characters as well.
Based on the success of these two series, the turtles got their own video game in 1989. It was a Beat ‘Em Up style game that was featured in just about every arcade back in the ‘90s. It featured only the turtles as playable characters, and featured Shredder and Baxter Stockman as the main villains. It is still in many retro arcades to this day, and it is definitely worth checking out.
In 1990, the turtles came to live action in their first show on the big screen. The turtles are played by real people in big, bulky suits created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The main villain is Shredder, portrayed as a regular human. It did not do great with the critics, but the fans loved it. To this day, it is one of the most successful stand-alone movies of all time. It turned into a trilogy, with the other two movies having much less success, and there is definitely a reason for that. The second one features Tokka and Rahzar as the main villains, who are never seen again in future movies. In the third movie, they lose Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and features time travel as a central plot point. Additionally, it has a new character named Walker as the main villain. These two movies were a massive failure at the box office..
In 1997, the turtles came to live action once again, but in a series. This came to many people’s surprise after the last two movies failed. To no one’s surprise, this show failed, too. The turtles looked creepy and weird, and there was an addition of two new characters: Venus, the first female turtle who wore a teal headband, and Dragonlord, the villain. Overall, the plot could have been stronger, and only a few people watched it. The show is not even worth watching for the die-hard fans.
In 2003, the turtles bounced back in animation. The turtles take a more bulky look, and are based more on the original comics. The show takes on some more mature topics yet keeps the comedic feel that we all expect to see. It went on for seven seasons, all the way up to 2009. Overall, the show succeeded and introduced a new generation to the series. It is my personal favorite.
In 2007, the turtles went back to the box office once again, but in 3-D animation. They return to a skinny, scrawny look and feature the stone generals as the main villains. Overall, the movie did pretty well at the box office and featured Chris Evans. The turtles look a little whacky, and the plot is weak, but it has an excellent feel. After the movie, TMNT was fully revived when Nickelodeon acquired rights to it. The biggest show of them all started in 2012 and ended in 2017. It was computer-generated imagery (CGI) animated, which made fans want to watch it again. It featured almost every side character and villain and is what most people grew up watching. It features Krang as a main villain and also features giant side characters like April O’Neil, Casey Jones and Metalhead. It is one of the most notable appearances of the turtles to this day.
The turtles come back to live action once again in a Hollywood blockbuster. The cast features stars Megan Fox and Will Arnett as main characters. The turtles are made from CGI and were voice-acted. The turtles return to their bulky roots, and Raph wears a durag-inspired headband. Other new additions include the use of sunglasses by Raph and the use of spectacles by Donnie. It features Shredder as the main villain, and the plot is focused on their mutagen background. The film did well at the box office, and it got a sequel in 2016: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows.” In this film, Shredder comes back and partners up with Baxter Stockman to take over the world. It also included the addition of villains, Bebop, Rocksteady and Krang. Both of the movies are amazing, and they are worth checking out for every fan. There was a third movie planned, but this one was a box office bomb, so it was canceled.
In 2018, Nickelodeon made another animated TV show, “Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. The show includes a wide collection of both new and recurring characters. Raph is the only turtle with a bulky, wide look while the others are skinny. Raph sticks with the durag, and replaces his classic sais with a pair of tonfas. Donnie keeps his spectacles, and Leo appears with red face markings around his eyes. It features the turtles in a new, futuristic animation style. The main plot point of the series is that they have unique, mystic superpowers, which did not go down well with many fans. It is decent, but it does not have the same turtles feel that the other appearances of them have.
In 2020, “TMNT: The Last Ronin” was published. This comic book featured a tragic story where Mikey is the last remaining turtle after Raph, Leo, and Donnie. Mikey wields all of their weapons, including his own Nunchaku and fights a futuristic New York City. To this day, it is one of the most popular and best selling comic books of the 21st century. It is definitely worth a read for everybody.
The turtles are back on the big screen, following the animation fiend, with “TMNT: Mutant Mayhem.” The cast is stacked, with the biggest name being Jackie Chan as Splinter! They all have wide heads, and they are all slightly different shades of green. Raph goes back to his pair of sais, and the rest stick with their usual weapons. Donnie wears real glasses rather than fancy spectacles, and Raph loses the durag. They all go up for pizza, and meet April O’Neil. They get introduced to the underground of evil mutants led by Superfly, who is voiced by Ice Cube. Shredder makes no appearance, but the plot and villains are extremely strong. It is one of the best rated and best performing animated movies so far in 2023, and all the fans have loved it. If you have not already watched it, it is coming to Netflix soon. It will be worth the while.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the most influential, and one of the most successful franchises of all time. The franchise has gone through many changes in ownership, and the turtles have appeared in too many things to count. Fans have had many amazing memories, and we are bound to get many more.
